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Reading age
9+
Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Scholastic Inc.
Publication date
November 10, 2020
I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter series, so I decided to try this book. A powerful fairy tale of two children and a fearful king whose valor will be tested by every fiber of their courage.
Once upon a time, a cheerful ruler, King Fred the Fearless, governed a prosperous land called Cornucopia. One night, his seamstress, Mrs. Dovetail, died trying to sew a suit for him. Since then, Dovetail’s daughter, Daisy held a grudge against the king. King Fred noticed and tried to be a better person. On a call for duty, the king went on to hunt the legendary Ickabog, a monster supposedly to ravage the Marshlands.
J.K. Rowling is excellent as ever with her fantasy world-building skills. I love the idea of the states in Cornucopia; Chouxville, Kurdsburg, Jeroboam, Baronstown, and the marshlands. Each town had its own culinary specialty, which sounded mouth-watering.
The perspective was third-person omniscient; it constantly shifted from what was happening in the castle to the main characters, the children. King Fred was one of my least favorite characters. I thought of him as clueless and fearful, not fearless. The children, on the other hand, were crafty and brave.
The message of this book is to show kindness to others, even if they seem like they aren’t a good person.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes Harry Potter and a good adventure since this book tells a daring tale that will fascinate readers.
My rating
About the author
“J.K. Rowling is the author of the seven Harry Potter books, which have sold over 500 million copies, been translated into over 80 languages, and made into eight blockbuster films. She also wrote three short series companion volumes for charity, including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which later became the inspiration for a new series of films. Harry’s story as a grown-up was later continued in a stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which J.K. Rowling wrote with playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany.
In 2020, she returned to publishing for younger children with the fairy tale The Ickabog, which she initially published for free online for children in lockdown, later donating all her book royalties to help vulnerable groups affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
J.K. Rowling has received many awards and honours for her writing, including for her detective series written under the name Robert Galbraith. She supports a wide number of humanitarian causes through her charitable trust Volant, and is the founder of the children’s care reform charity Lumos.
For as long as she can remember, J.K. Rowling wanted to be a writer, and is at her happiest in a room, making things up. She lives in Scotland with her family.” – Book Depository.
